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46 comments

Matter of taste but we always get drink cards and NEVER wait to purchase on board. Save big money buying on line before. Importantly, no one offers better rates on the RCI cruises than the on board “Next Cruise” office. Always plan ahead and save big time

Absolutely makes no sense to get Internet service if you’re on a short 3 or 4 day cruise. Just enjoy your trip without outside distractions. Overpaying for crappy cruise internet service is a waste. Not taking full advantage of all complimentary meals and drinks makes no sense. Sure, specialty dining is what’s cruise lines are pushing and the quality is impeccable, but they are overpriced and doesn’t take into account of the value of complimentary dining that you’re not eating. On short cruises, avoid entirely. On longer cruises, maybe do one or two to try them out.

i was mad at a guest service manager a ms my soft drink cup got smashed as the football court on the first day so i waited 1hr 20 minutes and the guy just said no he can’t fix it or get a new one so i was pissed as i payed nearly $100 for the cup so i lined up again this time 2hr 30 minutes and the guys got me a new one

I recently went on a cruise on the P&O Britannia and there was no stairs at all at the middle bank of elevators from decks 8 to 16 (Lifts to me as I’m british😂) so there were loads of people with no choice but to use it to go one deck and they were so much more crowded than they needed to be. Not the passengers fault that but bad cruise ship design! My only bugbear with otherwise a breathtaking ship.

Question about drink packages. I enjoy the occasional drink but would not drink enough to make the drink package worth it. Is there some type drink package that is in the middle? I was on a cruise about a year ago and thought I saw a 10 drink drink package. Is that a thing?

Royal Caribbean Alaska (Ovation of the seas) – FIRST time and LAST time. Going back to Celebrity or try Princess.

RC Larger ship is unable to handle number people, use it as a crutuch to explain slow & bad service, unspectacular tasteless food (even breakfast food), ran out of tuna in izumi and capers for breakfast on 8th day of 11d. Limits 1 ifly per person per cruise w/o disclosing this upfront (had I known this I'll probably go on another cruise line). Sports event staff spends more time chitchatting and discourging customers by scaring them to avoid having to rotating them for a photo. Often que customers in cold to fill line than allow ony 1-3 people in north star. Charged $50/person to go up on Hubbard Glacier. Specialty Dining (taste like buffet food, unspectacular $47 without dining package) – Toss most of my food away in James Olivier. Only thing DECENT was the Chop Filet Steak (from Nebraska) which you can be bought in the main dining for $17. You get better /fresher Sashimi in restaurant in Vancouver or Seattle.

Ala carte prices for slow wi-fi and (tasteless specialty dining) that is free option on Celebrity or available in main dining including drink options.

Pool is smaller than shown (because both sides to the center has only a foot of water) hence less lesss than 2.5 lanes for lap swimming in any pool. Inside pool felt like a sauna and full of kids (babies). No changing room near poolside (so you'll have to parade in wet clothing back to cabin) and $25 fee for every towel not returned. Jacuzzi was not warm with very weak jets.

Whale watching – Animals ONLY feed there so don't really jump of of the water (Breach) like (Monterrey Bay or Hawaii). More can be seen in the water but only a slight hump or tail.

I went on a royal Caribbean cruise for the first time ever this year Anthem of the of the seas…Wasn’t my first cruise I’ve been on others Princess and NCL….This was my worst cruise experience the crew for the most part were nice except for maybe two of them…The one guy in the duty free shop couldn’t answer a simple quick question about what time the store closed and was quick to brush us off to another crew member on the other side of the store w a rude response of just”over there”…They’re drink package is strict and ridiculously monitored…You can only get one drink at a time…I’m not talking about getting two beers…I’m talking about getting a beer and a water was an issue…Me and my GF both had the drink packages and we always had to show two cards every damn time which was annoying…NCL doesn’t do that especially if you stayed at the same bar you didn’t even need to constantly take your card out…We tried to get on the bumper cars a full hr before it ended and the line was wrapped around the whole area which was fine, but when we went to the end of the line we were told “Hey you can wait on line but it’s no guarantee you’ll even get on” Oh and the casino was the worst my favorite table game is the craps table…Gambling is based on chance but there also rules…and there rules at least for craps changed whenever it was in there best interests….And everyone at the table felt the same…For example a passenger rolled the dice and hit another passengers arm w the dice on the other side of the table which if it didn’t would of went off the table and it would of been a bad roll but the dice said we crapped out so they said it was natural interface and the roll was good…People were confused and annoyed because this was a constant thing at this table..Which only opened at a certain time hrs after the rest of the casino opened up…They would even forget to pay you the correct amount for bets won…you had to speak up and say something…That table was like a go fund me for a new propeller for the ship….I’m sorry I don’t think I’d ever go on the ship/ cruise line again….There were a lot of good workers and there private island is beautiful, but it lacks in proper training of crew w certain aspects…

WRONG about the drink package prices! I was on Liberty thre weeks ago and we had decided to not get it because I don't drink enough to make it worth it but my husband could not get one if I did not. Once we were on board, there was a boarding sale and we got two packages cheaper than we would have beforehand. The restaurants also have a good sale that day!

I still don’t get the point of cruises due to the fact that you can experience the same thing in any city besides the fact it isn’t moving. I see royal Caribbean as a very exploitive and enforcing corporation, which overall makes cruises a very bad experience for me

I hate the fact that RC has their Muster Drills outside. My last cruise out of Galveston, the weather was cold and windy. We were stuck out on that deck for over thirty minutes. Princess sends you to a theater, or other meeting room.

Piling up food on plates and not eating even half of it.. you can go back and get more and it’ll be there likely another day while on the cruise.

Not washing hands. Being on a cruise is like being in a city but on the water so germs are abundant on door handles and rails etc. and getting sick could be easy with bad hygiene.

Not unpacking at the start of the trip. Leaving everything in a suitcase the whole trip never lets you truly unwind and if you’re one of those that’s puts in your dirty clothes in the same place..well all your clothes may begin to smell and or be damp.

Not booking excursions ahead. When booked ahead you secure your spot and you have the time to sit down and really look at all your options along with reviews online..which is something you may not be able to do on the ship and you won’t be wasting time planning your vacation while on vacation so you can really maximize your time.

Wash you hands. I'm mean a really good washing. It's better for you and your fellow passengers.

As to complimenting crew. They don't just want praise. They want $$. Tip them and tip them well. I prefer cash and so do they. When you pay it collectively , it's shared between all of them. Me, I prefer Mano a Mano with green. They love green!!

Sorry I don’t do stairs not everybody is capable of doing stairs. And the way I see it a person that is a little tipsy shouldn’t take the stairs either. I do recall on one of my cruises a few years back where a lady broke her neck and died falling down the stairs after coming from the catacomb nightclub.